Apparatus for coating test panels



United States Patent [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 8/1902.lagenberg et [72] Inventor Joseph Giordano 133 West 110th St., Chicago,Illinois 60628 783,857

Appl, No. [221 Filed Dec. 16, 1968 [45] Patented Sept. 29, 1970Attorney- Olson. Trexler. Wolters and Bushnell [54] APPARATUS FORCOATING TEST PANELS 13 Claims, 7 Drawing Figs.

118/12, ABSTRACT: A machine for applying a uniform coating of 101/232,118/231, 118/247, 118/249 paint to a test panel of flexible aluminumsiding. The machine [51] lnt. B05c 1/02 includes a stationarycylindrical frame, paint applying means,

[50] Field ofSearch......................,.......,............. 118/231,and means for moving a test panel about the periphery of said 249, 247,319, 262, 6, 12; 101/232 frame and into engagement with said paintapplying means.

Patented Sept. 29, 1970 3,530,823

Sheet 1 of 2 Jsgpfz/ GZordarzo APPARATUS FOR COATING TEST PANELSBACKGROUND OF INVENTION This invention pertains to a machine forapplying a coat of paint to a test sample of flexible sheet material.More particularly, the invention relates to apparatus for applying anaccurately calibrated coating of paint of controlled and measuredthickness to one side of a test panel of flexible strip aluminum or thelike material.

The paint industry does a great deal of testing relating to thedurability of various types of coatings on aluminum or other similartype siding. Generally, the practice is to coat a number of test panelswith a controlled predetermined thickness of paint. These test stripsare normally 6 to 9 inches in width and approximately 3 to 8 feet inlength. Once coated, these samples are then exposed to the weather, aswell as to simulated production conditions, in order that the durabilityand properties of the various coatings can be observed and recorded.

With the growth of the aluminum siding industry, paint manufacturershave been required to do a great deal of the aforementioned type testingin order to keep their products competitive. Accordingly, out of thistesting there has arisen a need for a laboratory coater that willquickly and accurately coat a large number of sample panels of the typediscussed above.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention provides amachine that can accommodate test panels of varying size, and canquickly and accurately coat a large number of these panels in a shortperiod of time. Said machine includes a stationary frame of generallycylindrical configuration, ring means rotatably carried by said frame, adriven, flying arm member that overlies the outer periphery of saidframe and moves in an arcuate path concentric therewith, first clampingmeans carried by said arm and adapted to receive one end of said testpanel, second clamping means carried by said ring means for receivingthe other end of said test panel, and means for applying a coat of paintto a surface of said panel, whereby upon rotation of said arm, the paneland the said pair of rings will also rotate, with said panel engagingsaid paint applying means.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a schematic elevational view of amachine embodying the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of FIG.'1, in thedirection indicated.

FIG. 3 is a partial elevational view of the cylindrical framearrangement of. the present invention with the paint applying means inthe retracted or loading position. if

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary top view of the frame and illustrating thedispostion of thc flying arm and a test strip with respect to saidframe.

FIGS. 5 and 6 are a top and a plan view, respectively, of one form ofclamp that may be employed in mounting the test strip in position aboutthe frame.

FIG. 7 is a partial perspective view of the control apparatus employedfor simultaneously moving the backup roller and actuating the clutch forthe flying arm.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENT In FIG. I of the drawingsthere is illustrated a machine embodying the present invention, which isdesignated generally 10. It should be understood that for purposes ofclarity and to facilitate description and illustration of the invention,FIG. 1 and certain other figures are of a somewhat schematic nature.

Basically. the machine 10 includes a stationary frame or drumarrangement 12 of cylindrical configuration, means for applying a coatof paint, designated generally 14, and apparatus for moving the teststrip about the periphery of the drum while in engagement with the paintapplying means. The

stationary cylindrical frame or drum 12, as well as the other elementsof the machine 10 are mounted or carried by a supporting structure whichis comprised of various standards and cross braces.

The stationary frame 12 includes a pair of end plates 18 and a pluralityof eircumferentially disposed idler rollers 19 which maintain the endplates in spaced relationship and define the outer periphery of frame12. The frame or drum 12 remains stationary throughout the operation ofthe machine, with the idler rollers 19 facilitating movement of the teststrip 20 thereover.

The paint applying means 14 shown in FIG. 1 is merely illustrative ofbut one type that may be employed, and it is to be understood that otherarrangements may be used to coat test strip 20. Specifically, withregard to FIG. 1, there is provided a reservoir 21 for the paint 22, anda pair of applicator rollers 24 and 26. Both rollers 24 and 26 aredriven off of motor 28 by way of a variable speed transmission 29 andbelts 30 and 31. Roller 24-is immersed in the paint 22 and duringoperation will transfer paint to the roller 26 which due to itsengagement with strip 20 will apply a uniform coating thereto as thestrip is moved about the periphery of the frame 12.

As shown in FIG. I, mounted internally of the stationary cylindricalframe 12 is a backup roller 32, which is movable between a loadingposition and an operating position. When the backup roller is in theloading position, illustrated in FIG. 3, the test strip 20 may be easilyassembled about the periphery of the frame 12. Upon the movement of thebackup roller 32 to the operating position, illustrated in FIG. 1, strip20 will be forced into engagement with roller 26 as it traverses theouter periphery of said frame. To move backup roller 32 between theloading and operating position any one of a number of arrangements maybe employed, however, in the illustrated embodiment a lever 34 andlinkages 36 and 38 are used. The operation of this lever in conjunctionwith the mechanism employed for traversing the strip 20 about theperiphery of the drum will be discussed more fully hereinafter withregard to FIGS. 3 and 7.

Considering now the means for effecting movement of the test strip 20about the periphery of the frame 12, there is provided a flying arm 40which is of L-shaped configuration, as seen in FIG. 2. Arm 40 is affixedto an axle 42 which is mounted concentrically with the frame 12. Theaxle 42, and the associated flying arm 40 are driven through a clutch 44by means of the sprocket gear 46, sprocket chain 48, transmission andthe motor 28. The uppermost section 40' of arm 40 is disposed parallelto the axle 42, and accordingly, upon rotation of said axle said section40 will traverse an arcuate or circular path about the outer peripheryof frame 12. In addition arm section 40' is provided with clamping means52, as illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, which interconnect the sample strip20 to said arm 40, as seen in FIG. 4.

Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 2, the means for effecting movement oftest strip 20 includes, in addition to the flying arm 40, a pair ofrings 54 which are rotatably mounted about the peripheral edges of frame12, This mounting arrangement for rings 54 is provided by a plurality ofrollers 56 which are affixed to the end plates 18 and upon which rings54 are journaled. lnterconnecting the respective rings 54 is a ring bar58, FIG. 2, which includes a clamping arrangement of a type similar toclamp 52-illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6.

Accordingly, with reference to FIG. 1, to load the test panel 20, therings 54 are rotated by hand until the ring clamp 60 is at the uppermostpoint of its arcuate path of travel. One end of the test panel 20 isthen clamped to the ring bar 58 by means of the clamping arrangement 60and the rings 54 are then rotated downward until the other end of thepanel 20 is in position to be clamped in the arm clamp 52. Since theclutch 44 is disengaged at this time, flying arm 40 and its associatedclamp 52 are free to move independent of frame 12 and rings 54, thustest panels of varying lengths may be accommodated. The test panel 20 isthen stretched so that it will engage snugly against the idler rollers19 which define the outer periphery of the frame 12. Next, the arm 40and rings 54, now interlocked via test panel 20, are rotated clockwiseuntil the leading edge of the panel is in starting position. With thepanel in the starting position, lever 34 is thrown from the positionillustrated in FIG. 3 to that illustrated in FIG. 1, causing the backuproller 32 to move to the operating position. In addition, lever 34 isconnected with clutch 44 by a linkage arrangement 61 so that uponmovement of the backup roller 32 to the operating position the clutch isautomatically engaged and the arm 40 will commence to rotate causing thetest panel 20 to traverse the outer periphery of the frame 12.Obviously, it can be seen that this movement will bring the entire outersurface of panel 20 into contact with the paint applicator roller 26which will deposit a coating of predetermined thickness thereon.

To effect automatic disengagement of the clutch 44 and retraction of thebackup roller 32 after coating has been completed, a lever 62 isprovided which is interconnected to lever 34 for joint movement. Lever62 is positioned such that as the trailing edge of the test panel 20approaches the point of engagement with the paint applicator roller 26an extension 58' of the ring bar 58 will engage said lever 62 and movesame to the position illustrated in FIG. 3. This movement of the lever62, due to its association with the lever 34, will disengage clutch 44and retract the backup roller 32 thus readying the machine for the nextpanel to be coated.

It should be noted that proper engagement of test panel 20 with theouter periphery of frame 12 is required in order to assure applicationof a uniform coating. However, since flying arm 40 is free to move priorto engagement of clutch 44, once manual rotation ceases, arm 40 willtend to move counterclockwise due to gravity. If this occurs, the testpanel 20 will be placed in a slack condition. If clutch 44 were engagedwith the panel 20 in a slack condition, there would be a tendency forthe panel to jerk, resulting in uneven initial movement of the panelpast roller 26 and correspondingly an uneven coating applied thereto.Thus, it has been found desirable to interconnect the flying arm 40 andthe rings 54 in an adjustable, resilient manner to assure properpositioning of the panel at all times.

One arrangement for effecting the aforementioned interconnection of arm40 and rings 54 is illustrated in H0. 4. With this arrangement the upperarm section 40' is provided with a spring 64 that is connected to aclamp 66, slidably mounted on ring 54, by means of a cable 68 engagedover pulley 70 which is affixed to arm section 40. Thus, by means of theslidable mounting of clamp 66 the position of arm 40 with respect torings 54 may be varied to accommodate test panels of different lengths.Also due to the resiliency in the interconnection of arm 40 and rings 54afforded by spring 64, both the flexing of panel 20 upon engagement withsaid rollers, and the tendency of arm 40 to move counter-clockwise fromthe starting position may be accommodated without adversely affectingthe applied coating. The net result of this is that smooth movement ofpanel 20 past applicator roller 26 is assured, which in turn assures aneven, uniform coating.

The particular clamping means employed for panel 20 forms no part of thepresent invention, however, for purposes of description a preferred typeis illustrated in F165. 5 and 6. Basically, clamp 52 includes an upperelement 71 and a lower element 72 which are interconnected by means ofscrews 73, spacer 74 maintaining said elements in spaced relationship todefine in effect a bifurcated arrangement. A ball detent member 75 iscarried by the upper element 71 while the lower element 72 has ahardened steel riser 76 movably mounted thereon. Pivotally mountedbetween the upper and lower sections 71 and 72 is a lift cam handle 78which is provided with an arcuate camming section 80 on the end thereof.The camming section 80 has a tapered leading edge 80' which will engagethe underside of the hardened steel riser 76 upon movement thereofcausing said riser 76 to move toward the ball dctent 75 to clamp 21 testpanel therebetween.

ln HO. 7 there is illustrated the manner in which the lever 34 isassociated with both roller 32 and clutch 44. As can be seen, backuproller 32 is mounted for both rotative and transverse movement by meansof its axle 81 being slidably supported by journal block 82 which iscarried on frame section 84. Affixed to axle 81 is a slide plate 86,which in turn is joined to lever 34 by linkages 36 and 38, In addition,lever 34 is joined also to clutch 44, this being accomplished by linkagearrangement 6l. Accordingly, movement of said lever 34 in the clockwisedirection will cause roller 32 to move forward, while simultaneouslyengaging clutch 44.

In addition, lever 62 is carried by shaft 88, which also carries lever34, such that both said levers are joined for joint movement.Accordingly, as was discussed previously, when lever 62 is engaged byextension 58' approximate completion of the coating operation, bothlevers 62 and 34 will be moved counterclockwise thus retracting thebackup roller 32 and disengaging clutch 44.

It should be understood that the preceding description of the inventionwas in conjunction with drawings of a schematic nature, and that variouschanges in structure, substitution of elements and other obviousmodifications will no doubt occur to those skilled in the art. However,it is envisioned and intended that these modifications form a part ofthe present invention insofar as they fall within the spirit and scopeof the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for applying a coat of paint to a sample strip of flexiblesheet material, said apparatus comprising, a stationary frame ofgenerally cylindrical configuration, ring means rotatably carried bysaid frame, a driven, flying arm member that overlies the outerperiphery of said frame and moves in an arcuate path concentrictherewith, first clamping means carried by said arm and adapted toreceive one end of said test strip, second clamping means carried bysaid ring means for receiving the other end of said test strip, meansfor applying a coat of paint to a surface of said strip, whereby uponrotation of said arm the strip material and the said ring means willalso rotate, with said strip material moving about the outer peripheryof said frame and engaging said paint applying means.

2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said paint applying meansincludes a pair of rollers, one of said rollers being positionedexternally of said frame and the other being a backup roller mountedinternally of said frame, and at least one of said rollers being movablefrom a loading position to an operating position.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim 2 wherein said backup roller comprisessaid movable roller.

4. Apparatus as defined in claim 2 further including tensioncompensating means joining said arm to said ring means, said tensioncompensating means maintaining the test strip in proper position uponadvancement of the arm to the starting position and the subsequentengagement of said strip by said roller.

5. Apparatus as defined in claim 4 wherein said tension compensatingmeans include, a spring carried by said arm, an adjustable clamp carriedby said ring means, and a cable joining said spring and said clamp.

6. Apparatus as defined in claim 2 wherein said means for driving theflying arm includes a clutch, said apparatus further including controlapparatus for automatically engaging said clutch upon movement of saidmovable roller into operative position, and automatically to disengagesaid clutch and retracting said roller once coating of the test striphas been completed.

7. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said stationary frameincludes a plurality of rollers mounted about the periphery thereof,said rollers facilitating said movement of the test strip about theouter periphery of the frame.

8, Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said ring means include, apair of ring members journaled about the peripheral edges of said frame,and a bar joining said ring members for joint movement and carrying saidsecond clamping means.

9. Apparatus for applying a coat of paint to a sample strip of flexiblesheet material, said apparatus comprising, a stationary frame ofgenerally cylindrical configuration, first means rotatable about saidframe and carrying a first clamping arrangement for receiving an end ofsaid test strip, second means independent of said first means androtatable about said frame, said second means including a secondclamping arrangment for receiving the other end of said test strip, andmeans for applying a coat of paint to a surface of said strip, one ofsaid means rotatable about said frame being driven such that inoperation said first and second means are associated for joint movementabout the frame by means of the test strip, which strip also moves aboutsaid frame into engagement with said paint applying means.

10. Apparatus as defined in claim 9, said second means include, a pairof rings journaled to said frame for movement about the peripheral edgethereof, and a bar joining said rings together and carrying said secondclamping means.

11. Apparatus as defined in claim 10 wherein said first means is themeans driven, and said first means include a flying arm having anextension which overlies the outer periphery of said frame and moves inan arcuate path concentric therewith, said extension carrying said firstclamping arrangement.

12. Apparatus as defined in claim 9, wherein said first means is themeans driven, said first means including an L shaped arm, one sectionbeing joined to an axle concentric with said frame and the otheroverlying the outer periphery of said frame and carrying the firstclamping means thereon.

13. Apparatus as defined in claim 9, further including means to adjustthe angular disposition about said frame of said first and secondclamping means, whereby sample strips of varying length may beaccommodated.

